If you're ever in DC, the National Gallery print archive has a huge collection of his work. Call and make an appointment and they will let you sit and browse through the collection. It's an amazing experience to hold those vintage prints in your hands.

One thing that struck me was how Evans didn't seem to mind if the paper he printed on was cut into a triangle rather than a rectangle! He was obsessed with photography, not necessarily straight lines and the fine print aesthetic.

Still a massive influence today on contemporary 'documentary style' work (his term) and social/cultural landscape.

He pretty much created that ubiquitous visual vocabulary that we've all used at some point; telephone wires and utility poles as formal devices, billboards and advertisements as both graphical and cultural statements, shop fronts and cars as historical anchor points. While Ansel Adams was battling with the concept of 'straight photography', Evans was actually out doing it.

Along with Paul Strand, he's one of the few historical photographers whose work gives me that 'wholesome' feeling. It's like eating a completely satisfying meal.

Have a look at 'Walker Evans and Family' by Peter Galassi [and then check out Arget as well].

"He took to writing poetry and visiting the elves: and though many shook their heads and touched their foreheads and said 'Poor old Baggins!' and though few believed any of his tales, he remained very happy till the end of his days, and those were extraordinarily long "- JRR Tolkien, ' The Hobbit '.

Walker Evans was more than a photographer. He delved into the psyche of America:
the expectations and realities, the roles we inhabit, the unspoken rules we live by,
the forces of habit, conformity, capitalism, and consumerism. In short, he held up
a mirror to ourselves and anyone who would follow us.

Hats off to Walker.

Books I own:

american photographs - the standard
the hungry eye - awesome little book
walker evans at work - shows how he worked a scene, thoughtful insights
walker evans and company
walker evans: decade by decade
walker evans, the museum of modern art

Last edited by dasBlute; 11-03-2013 at 09:05 PM. Click to view previous post history.